So far already in September, Californians have worked together to conserve energy in the face of historic heat, record-breaking demand and strained grid capacity; California for All Animals’ latest grant cycle asks, What might we accomplish together through ‘Sniptember’? The 30-day spay/neuter grant blitz runs September 15 through October 15, and we invite you to submit proposals and join with your partner organizations to tackle another shared challenge—increasing spay/neuter capacity across the state.

Through the Spring 2022 Open Grant cycle, California for All Animals awarded over 6 million dollars in funding to California animal shelters to help you provide the care and services that strengthen the bonds and remove the barriers between pets in your community and the people who care for them. Inside and outside the shelter, spay/neuter is one of many interconnected components that builds the health and well-being of pets and communities, and we know that barriers to access for pet owners, not race or ethnicity, are the primary determinants of companion animal spay/neuter rates. As will be the case for the entirety of this program, initiatives that expand access to spay and neuter are crucial. RFPs will be accepted from September 15 – October 15, 2022. Applicants will be notified via email by November 15, 2022.

Who is eligible to apply?

Municipal animal shelters, private animal shelters with municipal contracts, and private shelters are eligible to respond to this RFP. A shelter is defined as a brick-and-mortar facility that houses animals on-site and is open to the public a minimum of fifteen hours per week. The goal of this RFP is to increase capacity of spay/neuter services in animal shelters above and beyond what currently exists.

Veterinary clinics and spay/neuter organizations without a brick and mortar intake facility are encouraged to partner with animal shelters on proposals. The shelter would act as the recipient of the funding and then contract with the spay/neuter organization for services. If you need help partnering with a shelter(s) in your region, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at grants@californiaforallanimals.comand we’ll connect you.

What might a proposal look like?

The funding priority for this grant cycle is to increase capacity for spay/neuter services for animal shelters, which is defined as spay/neuter of animals in the shelter, referred by field services and those at risk of ending up in the shelter; for example, pet owners experiencing homelessness, pet owners residing in zip codes of high intake, and priority community animals. Operational costs associated with increasing capacity should be included in the proposal.

Examples of funding requests include but are not limited to:

  • Increase regional capacity for spay/neuter by offering services to another shelter(s).
  • Utilization of existing facilities on days when surgeries are not being performed to increase spay/neuter for the shelter or community. This can be in collaboration with another shelter or spay/neuter organization.
  • Increase capacity to train veterinarians on High Quality High Volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN), with a priority on supporting veterinarians currently practicing in shelters or low cost spay/neuter clinics or with a commitment to do so in the short term.
  • Increase non-veterinary support staff to optimize veterinary staff use.
  • Sponsorship of work visas and associated costs for international veterinarians to increase spay/neuter veterinary staffing and services.
  • Initiatives to recruit and train veterinarians not currently participating in the workforce or support transition from other areas of practice to HQHVSN.

Where do I apply, and how can I learn more?

We know you’re busy, so we’ve made the application process simple. For more information, visit California for All Animals. If you’d like to be notified when the grant portal opens on September 15, subscribe to the California for All Animals Newsletter.